The pressure's on as Brits in the pits face a battle of wits in final

MICHAEL Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen go head to head at the Nurburgring today knowing their title dreams could be won or lost in the pit lane.

The perfect pit stop is absolutely vital in the high drama of Formula One.

The pit crews are expected to change four wheels and refuel the car in around eight seconds. Ten seconds, or the time it takes to read around six paragraphs of this story, is considered a disaster.

Both drivers, who go into today's Luxembourg Grand Prix on the same number of points, know their talents count for nothing once they are sitting in the pits.

Title hopes can be shattered in a split-second it takes for a wheel-nut to cross thread, the refuelling jig to jam or the wrong order to be given by their lollipop man, the guy who stands in front of the car with the 'apply brakes' sign.

With just two races left, Ferrari's chief mechanic Nigel Stepney knows the pressure is on all right - but he loves every second.

Englishman Stepney, who has been involved in F1 for more than 20 years, said: "You can win or lose a race in a pit-stop - and we've won a lot.

"There is no point having a very good race strategy if you can't carry it out in the pits.

"There is more pressure on us than any other team working for Ferrari because if you don't perform here you get destroyed by the Italian media. We were under intense pressure at Monza last time out, but we produced one of our best pit-stops ever - and Michael went out and won the race and now shares the championship lead with Mika.

"When it all goes in synchronised fashion it's lovely. When it all goes wrong it is horrible.

"The boys take any mistakes badly because they know millions of pounds and vital points could be resting on it. That's why we practise 40 or 50 pit-stops a week to make sure we get it right.

"The first team that makes a mistake in the pits at the Nurburgring could be waving goodbye to the championship."

But mistakes often DO happen in the pit lane, with dire consequences.

Who can forget that wheel coming off Nigel Mansell's Williams during the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix which helped destroy his title hopes?

Then there was that horrendous pit-lane fire which engulfed Verstappen's Benetton at Hockenheim three years later after a fuel leak.

And the McLaren boys were left heart- broken and livid with their own performance at this year's San Marino race at Imola, when they couldn't apply the fuel hose to David Coulthard's car. They had to send the Scot out so they could fix it before calling him back in.

McLaren team manager Dave Ryan admits: "We do learn from our mistakes - and we make a lot.

"We wouldn't be human if we didn't. We take our mistakes personally, but we are a team and we win and lose collectively.

"When everything goes right there is nothing more satisfying than when you see your car cross that line first and you get a pat on the back from your driver.

"Any driver who doesn't recognise that his mechanics are a key part of his success is way out of order - but we are lucky because our racers appreciate the work we put in."

The most important man in the pit team is the guy who holds up the lollipop at the front of the garage to make sure the car stops in exactly the right position.

He keeps the driver aware that the brakes must be applied while three men change each tyre in just three seconds as two more apply the fuel jig.

Ryan said: "It is his job also to release our car when it's safe to go back out in the pit-lane, and that's a very scary responsibility for one man.

"We are relying totally on his judgment and if he decides to hold up our car to avoid a collision I will support him 100 percent - even if it costs us vital seconds."

Two more mechanics are there to support the car with the front and rear jacks, another wipes the driver's visor while a colleague stands nearby with a fire extinguisher, just in case.

Damon Hill is quick to applaud the unsung heroes in the pit-lane who may earn just pounds 25,000 a year for all their hard work and dedication - while someone like Schumacher is on pounds 1million a race.

The garage men played a big part in Hill's 1996 championship year at Williams and he says: "They have a crucial role to play."

"The pressure will really be on the McLaren and Ferrari teams this weekend as the title draws nearer.

"A driver is helpless when he pulls into the pits because everything is out of your hands, but you know that the mechanics around you are professional and totally focused.

"Yes, I made a big point of congratulating and celebrating with my mechanics after I won the title in Japan because they are your family - your life-support for the whole year."

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